My KonMari Journey — ‘Komono’ — Toys

If you’re going to tackle your kids’ toys, I can’t emphasise enough how important it is that they’re out of the way when you do it. Anything else is pure folly, like sweeping leaves in a hurricane. You have been forewarned.

That’s what I found when I did a little pre-declutter with my daughter around. Lot’s of “oohing” and “aahing” out of her as she re-discovered lost “treasures” (mostly things that made lots of noise). I quickly admitted defeat and deferred the project to a later date.

If you have kids of your own, you’ll understand and empathise when I tell you that it’s like lodging with a hoarder. There’s stuff everywhere, you’ll forever be tripping and falling over things, and woe betide you if you try to tidy stuff away. (And by “away”, I mean “into the bin”.) Kids are like mini dictators, and it’s their way or insanity highway. They have a habit of initially appearing all innocent and innocuous… until you wake up one morning to what sounds like a foghorn and find your landscape looking very different indeed.

As a perfectionist and OCD sufferer, I was in a constant state of the crazies. So I finally decided it was time to stage a coup, and reclaim what little I could of my oasis of calm. I needed an immediate victory under my belt to fuel my decluttering fire, so I started with the bulkier toys. These were the ones that took up the most space and wouldn’t fit on a shelf or in a storage bin — the ride-alongs, the blackboard, the big table for building blocks… Some of these were the first to fall, and gained me a foothold in foreign territories.

Buoyed by my quick and easy success, I set my sights on soft toys next. And so I steeled myself against an army of teddies and dolls, about 60-strong, and slayed several in one fell swoop, sparing only about 25. And then, embarrassingly, I realised that about 10 of those were actually allies of mine from long ago, and I separated them from my daughter’s troops and set them to rest in a beautiful basket, to be returned to when I later tackle mementos.

Before

After*

*Except not really, because about half these are mine. Ahem.

There was only one mountain left to climb… but it was a big’un.

Or so it seemed, for a mere 15 minutes into the journey I reached the summit and planted a flag for parents everywhere. As any good explorer would, I divvied up and separated the spoils, and gave them good homes.

Significantly reduced, I think you’ll agree

The ones that didn’t survive were supposed to be bundled into the boot of the car to be donated to a good cause. Instead, the car crapped out and had to be brought to the local garage to be fixed, and I had to load up the laundry room with all the evidence of my war waging. (Normally, being able to avoid laundry for a week would be a good thing, but when your attempts at potty training are hit and miss… Not so much.)

Overall, I won the battle. And victory was a lot closer at hand than I anticipated. In fact, the bulk of the time was spent re-imagining the lay of the land, and re-organising what little was left. Still, I think my daughter (still ruler ‘round these here parts) was happy with the results.

Car corner & train tracks

Colouring & reading corner

How about a look at those amazing ‘before’ and ‘afters’, yeah?

Ah, sweet success.

And so my tiny-fingered terror still roams these lands, but her movements are watched carefully and her toys cleared away quickly. Her name is Scout and she has my heart… and also a huge heap of OHHOLYJAYSUS. Be right back!

😉

Do you get your kids involved in the decluttering process, or do you use the sneak attack on their toys too?

2 Comments

“Hoarders” is a good word for the tiny creatures. I once threw out what (to me) was a used tea bag from my daughter’s room. Later she asked me where her “Barbie herbal pillow” was. Oh. (I had to applaud her ingenuity.)